Culture and Economy

Smelser, Neil J., and Richard Swedberg (eds.). The Handbook of Economic Sociology. Princeton: Princeton University Press; New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1994. pp.27-57THE PURPOSE of this chapter is to review critically research on the relationship between culture and economy. Most of us are accustomed to the view, assimilated by social research and theory, that economic relations influence ideas, worldviews, and symbols. That the reverse is true, that aspects of culture shape economic institutions and affairs, is less well understood and therefore richer in im-plication for economic sociology and for interdis-ciplinary conversations. Therefore I emphasize the impact of culture on the economy and only secondarily consider economic effects on culture.